Narada
Narada - A masculine name of Indian origin meaning "supreme leader" or "dance".
Name Census estimates that about 198 living Americans carry the first name Narada. It is a predominantly male name (96.6% of registrations). The average person named Narada today is around 42 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Narada births was 1980 (55 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Narada. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
People living today
198
~ 1 in 1,731,083 Americans
Peak year
1980
55 babies that year
Average age
42
years old
2007 SSA rank
#8,755
Tracked since 1979
Census
Narada in the 2020 Census
The 2020 Census recorded 252 people with the first name Narada, which placed it at #33,030 in the published first-name tables. This is a snapshot of people who already had the name at the time of the Census.
The SSA sections elsewhere on this page answer a different question: how often parents gave the name to babies over time. The "people living today" figure on this page is different again: it is a current estimate built from SSA birth records and age-based survival rates, so the two numbers are not expected to match exactly.
2020 Census rank
#33,030
National first-name rank
People counted
252
252 in the published race/origin table
Per 100,000
0.1
People with this name in 2020
Largest reported group
Black or African American
77.8% of people with this name
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Narada
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Narada is Black at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself.
The bar chart below shows how people with the first name Narada described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given name, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown so the breakdown is easy to read across every published category. Because the 2020 Census first-name file also includes raw headcounts for each group, Name Census can show those alongside the percentages in the legend and hover tooltip.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A first name does not determine a person's race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the name Narada at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American77.8% · 196
- Hispanic or Latino7.1% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander5.2% · 13
- Two or more races5.2% · 13
- White4.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 1
Gender
Gender distribution for Narada
Narada leans heavily male at 96.6% of total registrations, but 7 girls have also been registered with the name over the years, giving it a small but present crossover presence.
Narada as a male name
- Ranked #11,911 in 2007
- 6 male births in 2007
- Peak: 1980 (48 births)
Narada as a female name
- Ranked #8,755 in 1980
- 7 female births in 1980
- Peak: 1980 (7 births)
2020 Census snapshot
In the 2020 Census sex table, Narada leans strongly male. 212 people counted with this name were male (83.8%), compared with 41 female bearers (16.2%).
Popularity
Narada: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Narada from the 1970s through to the 2000s, spanning 4 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 1980s, with 161 total registrations. Usage has dropped considerably from its 1980s peak. The most recent decade brought in only a fraction of the registrations that the name once attracted.
Babies born per year
Decades
Narada by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Narada during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Naradas live
The SSA's state-level files cover 5 states and territories. Georgia, Mississippi, Texas recorded the most babies named Narada, while South Carolina, Florida, Texas recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 8 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Narada
The name Narada is of Sanskrit origin and has its roots in Hindu mythology. It is derived from the Sanskrit word "nara," meaning human or man, and "da," meaning giver or gift. Thus, the name Narada can be interpreted as "the giver of knowledge to humans" or "the one who enlightens mankind."
Narada is a prominent figure in Hindu scriptures, particularly the Puranas and the Mahabharata. He is revered as the divine sage, a celestial being who travels between the realms of devas (gods) and humans, carrying messages and imparting wisdom. Narada is often depicted as a wandering sage, playing the veena (a plucked string instrument), and is considered the embodiment of knowledge, devotion, and spiritual enlightenment.
The earliest references to Narada can be found in the Vedic literature, dating back to around 1500 BCE. In the Mahabharata, one of the two major Sanskrit epics, Narada plays a pivotal role as a messenger and advisor to the gods and mortals alike. He is also mentioned in the Bhagavata Purana, where he is described as a devotee of Lord Vishnu and a master of the Vedas.
Throughout Hindu mythology, Narada is revered for his unwavering devotion to the divine and his tireless efforts in spreading spiritual knowledge. He is often portrayed as a mischievous sage who uses unconventional methods to impart wisdom and encourage devotion to the Supreme Being.
Some notable historical figures who bore the name Narada include:
1. Narada Muni (unknown birth and death dates), a legendary Hindu sage and devotee of Lord Vishnu, considered an incarnation of the divine Narada.
2. Narada Pancharatna (15th century CE), a renowned Sanskrit scholar and author from South India, known for his works on Vishishtadvaita Vedanta philosophy.
3. Narada Rishi (unknown birth and death dates), a revered sage and author of the Narada Bhakti Sutras, a significant work on the path of devotion.
4. Narada Thera (1st century BCE), a Buddhist monk and scholar who is believed to have compiled the Milindapanha, a famous Buddhist text.
5. Narada Muni Goswami (1553-1632 CE), a prominent Gaudiya Vaishnava saint and spiritual leader who played a crucial role in the Bhakti movement in India.
The name Narada has been an enduring presence in Hindu culture and spirituality, symbolizing the pursuit of knowledge, devotion, and enlightenment. Its rich historical significance and association with divine sages and scholars have made it a revered and popular name across generations.
People
Narada + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Narada as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with N
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Narada: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Narada?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 198 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Narada going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 1,731,083 US residents.
Is Narada a common name?
We classify Narada as "Very Rare". It ranks above 74.1% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 208 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Narada most popular?
The single biggest year for Narada was 1980, when 55 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Narada is about 42 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
How common was Narada in the 2020 Census?
The published 2020 Census first-name tables recorded 252 people with the name Narada, or 0.08 per 100,000 residents. That placed it at #33,030 in the national Census ranking for first names.
Why is the Census count different from the living estimate?
Because they measure different things. The Census figure is a count of people who had the name Narada in 2020. The living estimate aims to answer a current question instead: how many people with the name are alive today, based on SSA birth records and age-based survival rates. Since one number is a 2020 snapshot and the other is a present-day estimate, they are not expected to be identical.
What does the Census say about the gender split for Narada?
In the 2020 Census sex table, Narada leans strongly male. 212 people counted with this name were male (83.8%), compared with 41 female bearers (16.2%). The Census view is a snapshot of people living with the name in 2020, while the SSA section above tracks births across time.
What does the Census say about the background of people named Narada?
In the 2020 Census race and Hispanic-origin table, the largest reported group for people named Narada is Black at 77.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (7.1%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (5.2%). These figures describe the people who had the name in 2020, not any inherent property of the name itself. The percentages in the chart above come from self-reported race and Hispanic-origin responses in the 2020 Census.
Which group reports the name Narada most often in the Census?
Black is the largest reported group for people named Narada in the 2020 Census, accounting for 77.8% (196 people in the published table).
Why can the Census sex total and race total differ slightly?
The Census Bureau published separate 2020 tables for sex and for race/Hispanic origin, and the released figures can differ slightly because of privacy protection in the public files. That is why this page treats the gender section and the race/origin section as two related snapshots instead of forcing them into one identical total.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only includes names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files have no Census demographic snapshot. When that happens, the SSA trend, gender history, and state sections still appear, but the 2020 Census demographic sections are omitted.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Narada in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Narada a male name?
Yes, 96.6% of people registered as Narada in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Narada still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Narada in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Narada can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
How many people share the name Narada?
Find out how many people share the name Narada on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.